A few days later.
Ao Zang Mountain.
Amidst drifting mists, a young woman in celestial silk robes sat quietly by the water.
Behind her came a cold voice.
"Senior Sister, Master told you to return for dinner."
The woman didn't stir, still lost in her thoughts.
Plop!
A spear struck from behind, sending ripples across the clear pool in front of Ganyu.
Startled, she turned her head.
"Shen He… why are you here?"
Expressionless, Shen He pulled her Calamity Queller from the rock and replied.
"It's already time for dinner. Master told me to call you back."
"So soon?"
Ganyu murmured to herself. "Another day already…"
In a daze, she let herself be pulled into the cave by her junior sister.
Cloud Retainer descended from the cliffs, watching her two disciples, and sighed softly.
What is love, in this world? She had no answer. A reclusive Adeptus with no experience in romance could hardly guide them.
When she asked the Geo Archon, he only gave her a mysterious look and said: "He will return."
That boy… who knows where he went to sow his wild oats.
If he dares come back, she'll gather a few friends, tie him down, and make him marry her two disciples! Even if he leaves again, a child or two left behind wouldn't be so bad—she could help raise them herself.
Ahem. Too many stray thoughts. For now, she would at least try her disciple's cooking.
With a swirl of adeptal energy, Cloud Retainer assumed her human form and sat at the table. She picked up a bite of Shen He's "Four-Sided Peace" and placed it into her mouth.
But after just a small taste, bitterness exploded across her tongue.
This wasn't "Four-Sided Peace" at all—it was "Besieged on All Sides"!
Eyes watering, she swallowed and looked at her disciple. Quiet, stoic, yet so hopelessly entangled.
This child… she was going to be the death of her master.
Thump thump thump!
"Who dares knock at my mountain gate?!"
"Yuheng of the Qixing, seeking an audience with the Adeptus!"
"Yuheng? What business brings you to Ao Zang Mountain?"
"There is an urgent matter. I ask True Monarch to open the gate."
Cloud Retainer frowned. For an official of the Qixing to climb her mountain… could it be that troublesome fellow from the sea again?
She lifted the seal. The mountain gate opened.
"Greetings, True Monarch. I am Keqing, the Yuheng of the Qixing. We met during the battle against Beisht."
"I remember—the girl with the sword. Speak, what matter?"
Seeing Cloud Retainer in human form, Keqing felt less restrained.
"This concerns the Traveler, Jack. If possible, could you summon Miss Ganyu as well? It would be best to discuss this together."
She wasn't used to dealing with Adepti. In truth, she had long been the Geo Archon's sharpest critic. That was why, when asking for help regarding Jack and his strange alchemical creations, she hoped to rely on Ganyu's support—to appeal both emotionally and logically.
"Traveler?!"
From inside, two voices echoed in unison.
At once, Ganyu and Shen He rushed out, bowls forgotten.
"Has the Traveler returned?!"
"Where is he? Tell me!"
The two sisters seized Keqing, eyes burning with intensity.
"Eh? Ganyu, Shen He—you're both here?!"
They gave no answer. Their gazes alone spoke: even if he were in distant Snezhnaya, they would storm the palace to reclaim him.
"Enough! Such impatience. Sit, eat, and listen."
Cloud Retainer intervened, ushering Keqing inside.
"Now then, Yuheng. Tell us everything you know of the Traveler. These two children… once in their lives, they've fallen for someone. And they suffer for it."
It was clear—both were hopelessly smitten.
Keqing nodded silently. The Mondstadt faction already had the upper hand in Jack's circle, tilting the balance away from Liyue. She was determined to draw Ganyu and Shen He to their side. Ningguang… no, she would complicate things too much.
Shaking off her thoughts, Keqing began.
"The story starts with a certain open-world game… a two-character game…"
...
"Absurd! Such nonsense exists?!"
"How could we be paper figures from another's pen?! Bring him here—I shall reason with him!"
Cloud Retainer's voice shook with fury.
MiHoYo? To say Guizhong's death, her friends' struggles, her own years of solitude—were just words in a story?
But she was, after all, an Adeptus of millennia. She mastered her emotions.
"So… the Traveler is now a god of another world, yes?"
"Yes, True Monarch."
"And you… eloped with that boy and became his familiar?"
Keqing's face turned slightly red.
"Uh… Cloud Retainer, isn't the word 'elopement' a bit much?"
Cloud Retainer gave a sharp snort.
"Without a proper marriage ceremony or parental consent, what else should I call it?"
She waved her sleeve dismissively.
"But well, young people these days think differently. Customs change, and I can't keep up with everything."
Her gaze softened for a moment, before turning sharp again.
"Still, I wonder when that brat will finally return to Liyue. There are enough girls here waiting for him that their flowers will wither before he gives an answer."
Cloud Retainer rambled on endlessly.
Keqing opened her mouth several times, trying to bring up the issue of the alchemical creations, but the words caught in her throat.
Ganyu, noticing her colleague's trouble, finally stepped in.
"Cloud Retainer, Miss Keqing came here to discuss Albedo—the one descended from the witch. Shouldn't we address that first?"
Cloud Retainer paused. Her expression grew thoughtful.
"…Rhinedottir. I know the name. Five hundred years ago, she was Khaenri'ah's chief alchemist. We lived in different nations, but as fellow artisans, I admired her from afar. A pity she chose the path she did back then."
Keqing seized the chance.
"Then, Cloud Retainer, do you think Albedo can be trusted? His mother helped incite the Beastly Scourge. With his Khaenri'ah bloodline, can we be certain he won't cause trouble using Jack's world?"
Her eyes narrowed as she recalled their first meeting.
Cold, detached, like a machine without emotion. That was the impression Albedo left.
But when he revealed the Magical Source Gem—a creation tied to Jack's world—that mask cracked, exposing a hunger and madness for the unknown.
Maybe it was only the thirst for knowledge.
But Keqing dared not gamble on that.
Teyvat had once been engulfed in calamity. She had been powerless then. But now, as Jack's ally, she could not allow even the faintest trace of the Abyss to take root.
Their eyes met.
Cloud Retainer folded her arms, considering carefully.
"…Rhinedottir's child, is he? I haven't met him myself. But if Alice shelters him, then he shouldn't be as dangerous as you think, Yuheng."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Still, I'll see for myself. I'll travel to Mondstadt, speak to him directly, and judge his nature. Only then can I safeguard that brat's safety."
Keqing bowed her head in relief.
"Then… you agree?"
"There's no time like the present. We set out for Mondstadt at once."
Cloud Retainer's decision was quick.
The three younger women nodded in unison.
Out of sight, Cloud Retainer stole a glance at Shenhe's lunch still on the table.
A subtle shiver ran through her.
From now on… when that child is in a bad mood, absolutely do not let her cook.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.